Melbourne City Print & Dinkums Print: how two printing businesses turn payments into family holidays

The story

Short answer: John Wilson switched from Stripe to B2Bpay in 2020 to take card payments on the invoices of both his printing businesses. He no longer pays any fees to receive payments, earns Qantas Points when customers pay, and earns more points again by paying suppliers through B2Bpay with his American Express business cards.

• Businesses: Melbourne City Print and Dinkums Print & Design
• What they do: printing, from large-format work to printed materials
• Location: Carlton, Melbourne (Melbourne City Print moved from the CBD in 2020)
• Customers include: architecture students, Melbourne University and Tennis Australia
• Using B2Bpay since: 2020, to receive invoice payments (he also pays suppliers through B2Bpay)
• Switched from: Stripe
• Accounting software: Xero
• Spoke to us: John Wilson, owner

Two printing businesses, one premises

John Wilson owns two printing businesses: Melbourne City Print and Dinkums Print & Design. When Covid hit in 2020, he moved Melbourne City Print out of the CBD and into the Dinkums premises in Carlton, just a few kilometres away.

“I was lucky that I was at the end of a five-year lease and the move all of a sudden made sense.”

John Wilson, owner

The move has not affected the volume of business, and running both businesses from one premises saves on costs.

“Each business has a loyal dedicated customer base. And a lot of business is conducted by email so it didn’t make as much of a difference as I thought. But we have kept the name Melbourne City Print, and the businesses separate.”

John Wilson

Both businesses serve a wide range of clients:

“Both printing businesses service clients from Architect students needing something printed large format to print materials for Melbourne University and Tennis Australia.”

John Wilson

Earning points on business expenses

John signed both businesses up for an American Express card, and each was awarded 150,000 bonus Qantas Points. He uses these Qantas Points-earning cards for business expenses to help with cash flow and to earn points on every transaction.

He also uses B2Bpay to pay his suppliers, which earns him even more Qantas Points on top of the points he earns on the credit cards.

Getting paid with B2Bpay instead of Stripe

In 2020 John switched from Stripe to B2Bpay to receive payments on both businesses’ invoices.

“I made the choice to switch as I no longer pay any fees for receiving payments, plus I earn Qantas Points.”

John Wilson

Because both businesses use Xero for accounting, setting up was simple:

• “It was a few clicks to get set up and now my customers can pay my Xero Invoices using B2Bpay online.”
• “They can pay with any card, and I receive the funds into my bank account.”
• No fees for receiving payments, and Qantas Points when customers pay.

Where the Qantas Points go

John has used the Qantas Points earned in his business to take family holidays a couple of times a year during the school holidays. The family went skiing in Japan in early 2020, just before Covid hit, and he planned their next trip to Uluru.

“We can’t wait to take more overseas family holidays in the future. And it’s great that I can use the points I’m earning in my business to get there.”

John Wilson

Get started today

Getting a B2Bpay account set up is easy, and free.

1. Fill out the online activation form so we can verify your business details.
2. We set up your payment portal and payment page, customised with your company logo.
3. We arrange a payment link on your invoices, so customers can pay by card.

Prefer to talk it through? Call our Sydney-based B2Bpay customer support team on 1300 205 575, or read more about accepting card payments online.